A BOLTON charity worker who faced losing her job as a result of funding cuts has been saved by a £30,000 grant.

Maureen Winterbottom's post as the senior family support co-ordinator at Bolton-based national charity Vision Aid was under threat.

But a donation from the Lloyds TSB Foundation, one of the country's largest grant-giving trusts, has meant Mrs Winterbottom's job is secure for the next three years.

Lesley Green, a spokeswoman for Vision Aid Bolton, said: "As a trained counsellor her support to families who are confronted with the trauma of their child's diagnosis is invaluable." Mrs Winterbottom has been employed by Vision Aid since 1984, five years after the charity was founded by local parents as a self-help group for children with visual impairments.

Toy library

The charity, which operates a family support centre on Chorley New Road, now deals with hundreds of inquiries each year from families and carers across the borough.

Its centre includes a toy library, to develop learning skills in visually impaired children, and a light stimulation room. The charity also produces reference material, books, leaflets, videos and has a 24-hour helpline.

Anita Wilkin, the branch manager of Lloyds TSB in Bolton, commented: "The family support centre in Bolton is a wonderful, friendly place. Maureen is a formidable member of a wider team, who support many families within our community and the UK as a whole. I am delighted that we have been able to make a donation."

The Lloyds TSB Foundation supports under-funded grass-roots charities and it will distribute £2 million to voluntary groups in the North-west before the Millennium.

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